ZiLOG Delivers Single-Chip OTP Solutions That Reduce System Implementation Cost; Latest in Z8Plus Family Delivers Additional Features On-Chip - the Z8PE002 and Z8PE003 microcontrollers - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, August 16, 1999

ZiLOG Inc. Monday announced that it has expanded its popular Z8Plus family with two powerful one-time programmable (OTP) microcontrollers that may be used in a broad range of 8-bit applications, from home appliances to communications.

The Z8PE002 and Z8PE003 are the newest members of the award-winning Z8Plus 8-bit microcontroller family. ZiLOG's Z8Plus core was voted among Cahners Electronics' "Top Ten Processors of 1998."

The Z8Plus core, with its robust feature set, improves performance by almost 50 percent, allowing faster time to market. In addition, the new Z8PE002 and Z8PE003 deliver features on-chip that reduce system implementation costs.

"These single-chip solutions are targeted to customers who need a powerful, general purpose OTP microcontroller that has a small footprint. The parts may be used in applications that require less than 1K of memory; or where a designer would like to upgrade an ASIC or discrete design to reduce space and cost," said Mike Thompson, director of Appliance and Z8 microcontrollers for ZiLOG.

The Z8PE002 and Z8PE003 products feature 3 timers, 1 analog comparator, a PWM output, 14 I/O, and VBO/POR. The oscillator may be run from a crystal, LC or RC. In addition, both chips are pinout and function compatible with the Z8E001.

"Customers using the Z86E02 or Z86E04, but not using both comparators should switch to the Z8PE002 or Z8PE003," Thompson said. "The Z8PE002 and Z8PE003 deliver lower cost yet have higher performance and an additional timer."

An upgraded version of the Z8ICE emulator (Part Number: Z8ICE001ZEM) can emulate and program all parts in the Z8Plus family (Z8E000, Z8E001, Z8PE002, and Z8PE003). The new Z8ICE emulator is now available from stock and older versions have been discontinued.

Z8Plus Family Features Complete product specifications for the Z8PE002 and Z8PE003 are available by using ZiLOG's new Part Finder parametric search engine. Located on ZiLOG's Web site at www.zilog.com, Part Finder may be used to quickly search and compare products to determine the right solution for a customer's design needs.

Part      OTP      VBO     I/O    RC Osc        VCC (Std. Temp)

Z8E000    0.5K     No      13     No            3.5V to 5.5V
Z8E001    1K       No      13     No            3.5V to 5.5V
Z8PE002   0.5K     Yes     14     Yes           3.0V to 5.5V
Z8PE003   1K       Yes     14     Yes           3.0V to 5.5V

All of the parts in the Z8Plus family have the following features
(except as noted):

--   High performance Z8Plus core architecture
--   64 bytes RAM (Z8E000 has 32 Bytes)
--   Three timers (Z8E000 has 1 timer)
--   One analog comparator (not available on Z8E000)
--   PWM output (not available on Z8E000)
--   Programmable I/O
--   Watch Dog Timer (WDT)
--   VBO/POR
--   18-pin DIP, 18-pin SOIC, 20-pin SSOP
--   Commercial (0(Degree)C to 70(Degree)C) and Extended (-40(Degree)C
     to  105(Degree)C) temp ranges
--   Operating voltage for the extended temperature range is 4.5 V to
     5.5V
--   10MHz Maximum Operating Frequency

ZiLOG has an extensive roadmap for the Z8Plus product family and anticipates significant new product releases with mixed signal and higher end feature sets in the first half of 2000.

ZiLOG is a leading global design solutions company specializing in embedded and integrated circuits for the data communications, home entertainment and integrated controls markets. Headquartered in Campbell, ZiLOG employs an estimated 1,200 people worldwide. It announced 1998 revenues of $204.7 million.

Texas Pacific Group and its affiliates, a $2.5 billion private investment partnership, own a majority interest in ZiLOG. ZiLOG maintains design centers in Campbell, Austin, Texas, Nampa, Idaho, and Seattle, a worldwide customer service center in Austin, advanced manufacturing in Nampa, and test operations in Manila, Philippines. It has 27 direct sales offices and more than 120 distributor locations worldwide. www.zilog.com